Author: Allison Wood

Allison Wood is a member of the faculty at Solo Practice University® in relation to Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Having served as a Hearing Board Chair; and Litigation Counsel for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, her firm Legal Ethics Consulting, P.C., was established in 2011 to help keep good lawyers out of disciplinary and malpractice trouble. In addition to disciplinary defense, she provides expert evaluations in legal malpractice matters. Check out her website at www.legalethicsconsulting.com, send her a LinkedIn request; follow her on Twitter @WoodWiseEthics; or call her at (312) 753-6951.

Every year around this time, graduating law students are preparing to take the bar exam; and completing the Character & Fitness questionnaires with the hope that the Committee will find they are fit to practice law. Perhaps you know a law student; or you have one working in your office; or you know someone who dreams of attending law school. If so, please share this month’s ethics question with him or her. Consider the following scenario.

Unwanted touching in the work place is conduct that would not be appropriate. Such conduct has been the subject of attorney discipline. But, what about inappropriate communications? Should lawyers be disciplined for that they say?

We all know that the use of technology has transformed the delivery of legal services. Many case management systems are cloud based systems that change the way data is stored. But how does the use of cloud based systems affect a lawyer’s ethical obligations? Consider the following scenario. The answer and explanation can be found […]

On those rare occasions when you might be able to leave the office and attend a networking event or maybe just to meet some friends, you might not be thinking of your ethical obligations but maybe you should. Can small talk lead to a disciplinary action?

There are some litigation matters that are more contentious than others. The parties are angry at each other. You and your opposing counsel seem to be in a constant battle. If your opposing counsel files a Motion for Sanctions against you and your client what ethical concerns must you consider? Take the quiz.

Are you breaching the rules by not understanding technology? You very well might be even if you think you are handling your client’s issues correctly. Find out how one recent case turned out and see if you would have made the right decision.